As Iran nears a historic turning point, the question before policymakers and analysts is no longer whether the Islamic Republic can sustain its ideological project, but what comes next. Will Iran evolve into a regional democracy like South Korea, or will it sink into isolation and totalitarianism like North Korea?
The regime in Tehran is increasingly signaling its desire to emulate North Korea’s path—ideological rigidity, nuclear brinkmanship, militarized control, and rejection of the West. In contrast, the Iranian people have made clear, through repeated uprisings and acts of civil defiance, that they want a future akin to South Korea: democratic, modern, economically open, and integrated with the global community.